Join Your Community in Saving Energy This Summer

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station near San Clemente, Calif. historically has been the region’s most reliable source of electricity and plays a critical role in the reliability of the state’s grid. With the nuclear plant offline, SCE is working to ensure reliability this summer. Last summer, mild weather and conservation efforts of our customers — as well as accelerating transmission projects and targeted customer conservation programs — helped Southern California Edison (SCE) maintain a reliable grid with the San Onofre nuclear plant offline.

While there appears to be enough resources throughout the state to cover expected summer demand and offset the lost power from the San Onofre nuclear plant, if the greater Los Angeles basin experiences extreme weather conditions or transmission emergencies, there may be insufficient local resources to reliably serve all electricity demand.

SCE hopes that all Nuclear Regulatory Commission procedures to safely restart Unit 2 can be completed without delay, in time to meet summer demand. Meanwhile, SCE is expanding its transmission, customer conservation programs and community outreach efforts.

Why the San Onofre Nuclear Plant is Important
San Onofre can generate 2,200 megawatts of power — enough to meet the needs of 1.4 million homes.
Additionally, the plant offers a number of benefits to the state and to the electricity grid, including:
• Producing virtually emission-free energy.
• Helping meet the state’s air quality standards to reduce greenhouse gases.
• Generating power 24/7.
• Proving a secure fuel source.

Both units at the San Onofre nuclear plant are currently safely shut down. Unit 2 was taken out of service Jan. 9, 2012, for a planned outage, and Unit 3 was safely taken offline on Jan. 31, 2012, after station operators detected a leak in a steam generator tube.

Key Tips to Reduce Home Energy Use During the Summer
• Set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees.
• Use electric fans instead of air conditioning, when practical.
• Turn off unused appliances and equipment.
• Turn off lights when leaving a room.
• Avoid using evaporative coolers or humidifiers when air conditioning is running.
• Operate swimming pool equipment and energy-intensive appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, during early morning or evening hours.
• Limit the opening and reopening of refrigerators, which are major users of electricity in most homes.
• Use SCE’s energy-efficiency tools, available at www.SCE.com.
For more information, please visit www.SONGScommunity.com.